Security Groups that allow inbound access on non-standard ports (22, 80, 443)

Overview

The Security Groups that allow inbound access on non-standard ports (22, 80, 443) insight highlights security groups configured to permit inbound traffic on ports other than the standard, commonly used ports for SSH (22), HTTP (80), and HTTPS (443). This is a crucial area of focus for IT Operations (IT Ops) and Security Operations (Sec Ops) engineers to ensure a secure and compliant AWS networking environment.

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Value to IT and Security Engineers

For IT Engineers:

• Operational Awareness: Provides visibility into potential misconfigurations that might allow unwanted access to services on non-standard ports.

• Troubleshooting: Simplifies the process of identifying and resolving unexpected network access issues caused by traffic on unconventional ports.

• Configuration Consistency: Helps enforce consistency in network security rules across the infrastructure, reducing complexity in operations.

For Security Engineers:

• Security Hardening: Identifies security groups exposing non-standard ports, which are more likely to be targeted by attackers exploiting less-monitored or obscure services.

• Risk Mitigation: Assists in pinpointing risky configurations that could lead to unauthorized access or lateral movement within the network.

• Compliance Assurance: Ensures adherence to organizational security policies that restrict or control the use of non-standard ports.

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Key Use Cases

1. Detecting Potential Vulnerabilities: Sec Ops engineers can leverage this insight to quickly identify and remediate security groups that allow inbound traffic on risky, unconventional ports.

2. Enforcing Organizational Policies: IT Ops teams can ensure all security group rules align with organizational standards and compliance requirements by limiting access to approved ports only.

3. Auditing and Monitoring: Regular reviews of non-standard port usage enable both IT Ops and Sec Ops to maintain a robust security posture while identifying and documenting approved exceptions.

4. Incident Response: Helps accelerate investigations into suspicious activity or breaches by identifying which security groups could have been exploited via non-standard ports.

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Actionable Insights

• Review and Remediate: Inspect all security groups flagged for allowing inbound access on non-standard ports. Evaluate the necessity of these rules and remove or restrict them where appropriate.

• Restrict Traffic: Use IP whitelisting, if required, to allow access only from trusted sources for non-standard ports that are essential to your applications.

• Standardize Security Rules: Adopt standard templates for security group rules that include only the required ports for your organization’s applications.

• Monitor Exceptions: If non-standard ports must be used, ensure their usage is justified, documented, and regularly reviewed for potential risks.

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Additional Recommendations

• Enable Logging: Use AWS VPC Flow Logs to monitor traffic patterns on flagged ports, helping to identify unusual activity or unauthorized access attempts.

• Utilize AWS Config: Set up AWS Config rules to continuously monitor and alert on security groups allowing inbound traffic on non-standard ports.

• Leverage Security Groups Insights: Combine this insight with other security group metrics to gain a holistic view of network access controls and enforce least privilege principles.

• Automate Mitigation: Use AWS Lambda or similar automation tools to remediate risky security group rules dynamically by blocking or restricting non-standard ports.

By addressing security groups that allow inbound access on non-standard ports, IT Ops and Sec Ops teams can significantly enhance the security posture of their AWS environment and protect against unauthorized access or exploitation.